July 23, 2014: Art Theft, Calder's Birthday, and Sculptural Cheetos
Notable News
Independent Curators International (ICI) has presented Greek collector and entrepreneur Dimitris Daskalopoulos with their Leo Award. The distinction, named after legendary collector Leo Castelli, is awarded every other year to an important art world figure. Daskalopoulos serves on boards and councils at the Guggenheim, Tate, New Museum, and MCA Chicago and his collection has formed exhibitions at Whitechapel Gallery, and Guggenheim Bilbao, among others.
Art theft has been recognized as the third biggest criminal enterprise in the world after drugs and guns according to the US Department of Justice and Unesco.
Damien Hirst, whose personal art collection includes works from Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Francis Bacon and others, will open his own museum in London next spring. The complex, which has been in the works since 2012, will host galleries, offices and a restaurant.
Italy has announced major reforms within its Department of Cultural Heritage, eliminating more than 37 leading positions in a desperate attempt to quell budgetary concerns. Department Minister Dario Franceschini hopes that eliminating these positions will help relieve Italy from the bureaucracy that’s limited its cultural department for many years.
19 works by Robert Irwin and James Turrell are now on view at the Villa Panza in Varese, Italy. The works, many of which were commissioned specifically for the Villa by the important collector Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, date back to 1963 and are reminders of art’s ability to playfully manipulate spaces both old and new.
From the Artsy Archive
In honor of Alexander Calder, who would be 116 this week, we look back to a conversation between the artist’s grandson, Gryphon Rower-Upjohn, and Artsy’s Christine Kuan, about Calder’s influence on both art and music.
Best Instagram
Honor Fraser Gallery’s snapshot of Kenny Scharf painting in his studio, here.
Good Reads
How does striving for internet fame and the growing pressure on artists to achieve social media stardom hurt our culture industries? (via NYT)
As it continually recovers from disasters, Japan has seen a noted increase in contemporary artworks involving performance and intervention. This piece explores cultural identity and how geography can influence the artistic input of a country. (via Rhizome)
An Instagram account has achieved internet fame for showcasing sculptural Cheetos. Both entertaining and a strange experiment in the art of mass-sharing.
An interview with highly influential dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker Yvonne Rainer, who pioneered contemporary dance and avant-garde filmmaking techniques. (via frieze)
